Comments on: System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 – Install Guide (No Gateway) – Part 1

By: Andreas

Andreas — Wed, 13 May 2009 07:02:12 +0000

The gateway server is optional (though highly recommended) so you can get away with one server for the Enrollment and Device Management roles. And if you install a domain controller on the same box you can technically get away with only one server in your test lab. You’ll have another challenge though if you are using GPMC for managing group policies as this will not run on 64-bit.

You have already found the correct docs on TechNet regarding the extra steps you need to take if you want to co-locate SCMDM and a DC. I have not attempted this myself, but I have heard reports from others that it can be done if the steps are followed closely. So I don’t know why it would be failing in your lab – maybe there is another issue that is not related to the co-location of roles. Have you run the Best Practice Analyzer to see if it reports nay other issues?

I don’t know if you are using physical boxes, or virtual servers, but I would highly recommend having a separate DC. You can get away with almost no CPU, and only 256MB RAM on a domain controller running W2K3 32-bit. (My DC at home is an old HP Pavilion – probably at least 6 years old, don’t remember.)

By: Brad

Brad — Tue, 12 May 2009 22:08:26 +0000

What is the absolute smallest infrastructure needed for this kind of a lab? Could you have combined both the DC and SCMDM servers? The technet articles indicate steps to be done if MDM roles are running on a DC or CA. Yet this walkthrough as well as their “Integrated configuration” in the technet article do not use this design. I am asking since that was my goal, and I am running into trouble with it. I have done all steps indicated here: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd261919.aspx
yet I still get the error indicated under “General Access Denied Error When You Enroll a Device” at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd261751.aspx.

Any help would be appreciated.

By: Andreas

Andreas — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 18:32:00 +0000

I must have forgotten to include that step, Dave
Not being very fluent with WSUS and SQL I did not know this was required. However I always run Windows Update after installing servers/apps from Microsoft, so I already had SP2 in place when installing WSUS, and thus I did not encounter an issue with this.

By: Dave [MSFT]

Dave [MSFT] — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 18:20:05 +0000

You should also install SQL Server 2005 SP2, if you want WSUS to use the local SQL Server instead of maintaining it’s own database.

By: Andreas

Andreas — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 19:48:26 +0000

Enterprise Edition is not required for the MDM server, but the base image I use in my lab is Enterprise. Call it laziness if you will not having multiple base images For a simple lab you should be good with Standard as well, and for production use – well it depends on whether you need any of the other features in Enterprise

By: P

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 19:17:10 +0000

In the configuration above, why is Windows Ent Ed required for OS of the virtual MDM server? I only thought Ent Ed was needed on the DC/CA.

By: Wayne

Wayne — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 05:07:07 +0000

I forgot to mention the Forest Functional Level also needs to be right. You can either have :

Forest Level = Windows 2000 &
Domain Level = Windows 2000 Native
or
Forest Level = Windows 2000 &
Domain Level = Windows 2003
or
Forest Level = Windows Server 2003 &
Domain Level = Windows Server 2003

Clear as Mud! So you might want to recommend using the last option, so that people don’t get confused.

Cheers – Wayne
Airloom

By: Andreas

Andreas — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:32:31 +0000

You are of course correct Wayne, that mixed/interim would not be a good choice. I’ll update the post.
Interestingly Microsoft are not consistent in their naming scheme – if you press “Help” in the dialog box where you raise the functional level the following four levels are listed in the explanation article:
Windows 2000 Mixed
Windows 2000 Native
Windows Server 2003 Interim
Windows Server 2003
As far as I know support for 2008 Domain Functional Level will be included in Service Pack 1 for SCMDM.

By: Wayne

Wayne — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:43:36 +0000

My Post Disappeared

By: Wayne

Wayne — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 02:01:39 +0000

Great guild and great site, In the guild you might want to specify “Native” Domain Functional Level. As “2003 Mixed Functional Level” will not work. You can use “2000 Native” and “2003 Native”. mdm uses lots of universal groups which require “Native”. I’m sure it will not be long before we can use “2008 Native” as well.
Cheers Wayne